New to the Family - iBlog, the AOL iPhone Blog

It's been a fast 2 years. Think about this, 2 years ago, most Mac-fans were looking forward to the iPhone, just announced at Macworld Expo 2007. On March 17th, Apple announced 17 million iPhones and 13 million iPod touches are in the hands of users around the world. This figure represents over 30 million devices that run Mac OS X. It's hard to believe, but the iPhone/iPod touch platform is nearly as big (or bigger!) than the Mac platform. It took Apple 25 years to have a current user base of over 25 million Macs (I'll have to get the newest numbers). Two years, 25,000 apps and 800 million downloads later, the iPhone is the SECOND largest computing platform, with Windows XP/Vista leading.

That's a lot of lead-in for my next announcement - the iBlog. The iBlog will be the central location for all AOL iPhone/iPod touch news. Edwin Aoki, our iPhone leader at AOL along with AOL Mobile Product Lead Darren Austin and Mac/iPhone Development Lead Christina Wick will be joining me on the new blog. Please stop by the iBlog and say hello.

Thanks!
Lee Givens
AOL Mac & iPhone Product Lead

AIM for Mac 1.1 Released



We're very excited about the number of users who have moved to AIM for Mac 1.0 and today, the AOL Mac team has released AIM for Mac 1.1. We reviewed the feedback we've received from our 1.0 users and addressed the following issues:

  • ICQ accounts cannot sign in
  • Added Notes field to the Edit Buddy window
  • Signing in issue after installing application
  • IMs from iPhone AIM are displayed with a very large font size
  • Invisibility goes away when switching "screens"
  • Overlapping buddy list rows
  • Enhancements to Buddy List search

Please stay tuned for more information on the next version of AIM for Mac that will be available on AOL Beta Central.

Enjoy!
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

AOL @ Macworld Expo 2008!


AOL's commitment to the Mac and iPhone platforms was very evident at Macworld Expo 2009 in San Francisco. Twelve months ago, AOL's Mac Team had a minimal presence at Macworld Expo, demoing our AOL Desktop for Mac 1.0 beta to press and Mac users. This week, the AOL Mac Team is announcing (and demoing) the following applications for Mac and iPhone:


The AOL Mac Team is joined by the Truveo and AOL Radio teams to meet, demo and find out what our users think of our new iPhone and Mac products. We've met with many long-time AOL users and users who profess their love and admiration for AOL Radio and AIM for iPhone. Reengaging with the Mac community was our theme for Macworld Expo 2008, but in 2009, our new theme is "Building on the Commitment" to the Mac community. On Tuesday night, AOL sponsored the Macworld Blast Party with 100 of our invited VIP guests to listen to DJ AM and try out our iPhone music appsAOL Radio and SHOUTcast Radio.

The AOL Mac Team is also pleased to accept the "Best Schwag at Macworld Expo" on the first day of the show.

Stop by the AOL Booth (1438) or the Moscone meeting room (260)!

Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

AIM for Mac 1.0 Released!

Building on the Commitment: AOL Launches AIM for Mac 1.0

Communicate whenever you want, wherever you are, in whatever way that suits you best - on your Mac or on the go with your iPhone™.





The AOL Mac team is pleased to announce the release of AIM for Mac 1.0. As with AOL Desktop for Mac 1.5, AIM for Mac was built from the ground up by Mac users for Mac users. Highlights of the new software include:

  • True AIM Experience: AIM for Mac will allow you to select your own Buddy sounds, wallpaper and animated Buddy Icons from the AIM Expressions library.
  • Fast, reliable File Transfers: This is the Real AIM, not just an AIM-compatible IM client so file transfers are fast and efficient. Send files, folders and pictures to all your Buddies.
  • Tabbed IMs for Tiger Users: AIM for Mac works with Both Tiger and Leopard - Mac OS X 10.4.8 (and above) and Mac OS X 10.5.3 (and above). Same features, same great user interface.
  • Accessible: AIM for Mac was designed to work with Apple's VoiceOver on both Tiger and Leopard. You can navigate, review IM conversations and get your Buddy's status. On Mac OS X Leopard, we support the new natural-sounding voice – Alex.

AIM for Mac 1.0 is a great complement to our AIM for iPhone. Send and receive messages over WiFi, EDGE, or 3G networks while connecting to anyone on the AIM network worldwide, whether they're on AOL®, AIM®, ICQ®, .Mac or MobileMe. You can even send IMs and SMS text messages – even from an iPod touch (iPod touch only supports WiFi, SMS text messaging not available in all countries).

AIM for Mac Buddy List

AIM is a registered trademark of AOL LLC. .Mac, Apple, iPhone, iPod touch, Leopard, Mac, Macintosh, MobileMe, and Tiger are trademarks of Apple, Inc.

Bye, Bye AOL Pictures

Attention all AOL Pictures (AOL Pictures for Mac and AOL Pictures on the Web) users, you will need to migrate your photos from AOL Pictures to our new partner, American Greetings Photoworks.com. Please stop by the AOL Pictures site to move your photos over to Photoworks.com. Please make sure you get this done before you welcome in the new year! The AOL Pictures team has made an FAQ available to address your concerns.

AIM for Mac beta is now Available!

Good news! AIM for Mac beta 1 has been released.

AIM for Mac continues our commitment to the growing Mac market by delivering a new AIM experience that's built from the ground up for the Mac platform. AIM for Mac is one of the most requested applications from our users, and the "buzz" has been increasing with the successful launch of AIM for iPhone™.

AIM for Mac is available on AOL Beta Central.

Here are a few of the advantages AIM for Mac offers:

  • AIM Experience: Users can customize their AIM for Mac experience with AIM Expressions - Change your AIM sounds, wallpaper, emoticon set or Buddy Icon.
  • Favorite AIM Features: AIM File Transfer, Tabbed IM conversations, friendly names, AIM Groups, AIM Blast groups are supported.
  • Easy Access to Mail: With a single click, you can view your mail in AOL or AIM webmail.
  • Speed: Download, install and launch AIM for Mac in seconds.

Thank you for trying AIM for Mac; we appreciate your participation. Please be sure to send us your bug reports and feedback. You can also drop in the AIM for Mac message boards to see what other users are saying.



Thanks!
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

SafetyClicks.com

My pals on the AOL Parental Controls team created a new blog/info site that addresses something that has become important to me (I'm a Dad with two little kids, starting to use my Mac-no Windows at my house :). If you're interested in tips and suggestions on staying safe while on the Internet, stop by safetyclicks.com and check it out.

Thanks and stay safe!
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

Cross-Post: A Dedicated Chatroom for the Deaf Community

My blogger cohort Laura - on the AOL Desktop for Windows blog posted a great article on some of the work the AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) social media team is working on...

http://desktopblog.aol.com/2008/07/01/a-dedicated-chatroom-for-the-deaf-community/

Stop by and check it out.

thanks...
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

AOL Launches Free Versions of AIM, AOL Radio and Truveo on Apple App Store

Posted: July 10, 2008

Instant Messaging, Online Radio and Video Search Applications for the iPhone & iPod touch

NEW YORK – July 10, 2008 – AOL today announced three new iPhone OS applications: AIM, the leading instant messaging service; AOL Radio, the most popular online radio service and recent recipient of an Apple Design Award; and Truveo, the leading video search engine are available as free downloads from the Apple App Store beginning today.

"With AIM, AOL Radio and Truveo for the iPhone, consumers now have access to the world's largest instant messaging network, over 350 streaming radio stations and millions of online videos," said Kevin Conroy, Executive Vice President of AOL. "Over the past twelve months, AOL has revitalized its Mac development efforts and we're thrilled to be bringing our world-class communications and multi-media experiences to iPhone users around the world via the App Store."

The new AIM, AOL Radio and Truveo applications for the iPhone were built using Apple's iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) and provide users a rich, full-featured experience, with added features unique to the iPhone.

* AIM for iPhone brings together all of the core features of AIM – such as real-time communication, the Buddy List window and the ability to see when friends and contacts are online and available to chat – and combines them with a host of new capabilities that make IM'ing from the iPhone easy and convenient, whether over a Wi-Fi, EDGE, or 3G network.

AIM has been designed from the ground up to take advantage of the iPhone's unique user interface and advanced capabilities. New features developed specifically for the iPhone include the use of Gestures, which allows users to simply tap to start a new message or to swipe a finger to switch between conversations; Favorites, which puts the buddies with whom you keep in touch at your fingertips; and the ability to easily incorporate a photo taken with the iPhone's built in camera as a Buddy Icon. AIM for iPhone will be available to users worldwide.

* AOL Radio for iPhone gives users in the U.S. immediate, free access to more than 350 best-in-breed stations including more than 150 local CBS RADIO stations and custom channels and more than 200 AOL Radio stations spanning 25 musical genres. AOL Radio for iPhone leverages the iPhone's Core Location framework to detect a user's location and automatically displays CBS RADIO stations nearest to the user. Additionally, AOL Radio for iPhone automatically adapts to the current connection speed of the device providing low-bandwidth streams when on a cellular network versus higher quality audio for Wi-Fi connections.

At Apple's World Wide Developer Conference in June, AOL Radio was highlighted during the iPhone Developer Showcase and received the Apple Design Award for "Best Entertainment Application."

* Truveo Mobile Video Search for iPhone maximizes the device's premium video experience and makes it easy for users to search and browse through millions of online videos while on the go. Truveo's leading video search engine provides direct links to video content that's been optimized for the iPhone from a wide variety of video sources including CNN, Discovery Channel, HBO, NBC, PBS, Channel, Comedy Central, MTV and YouTube. Localized versions of Truveo Mobile Video Search for iPhone will be available for the U.S., Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, and the UK, with support for additional countries to follow in the coming months.

All three applications are available for free from Apple's App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/

More information on AIM, AOL Radio and Truveo Mobile Video Search for iPhone can be found at http://mobile.aol.com/iphone.

In addition to the AIM, AOL Radio and Truveo applications for the iPhone, AOL has also optimized many of its popular websites and services for the iPhone's Safari browser including; AOL.com, AOL Mail, AOL Mobile Search, AOL Money & Finance, Moviefone, AOL Food, AOL Horoscopes, AOL TV Listings and AOL Shopping.

AOL: Getting Back to the Mac

Over the past year, AOL has reinvested in the Mac platform and created new mobile and desktop experiences for the iPhone, iPod Touch and Macintosh computer. Using Apple's tools and SDKs, as well as working closely with Apple's design and development teams, AOL has launched a series of new applications including AOL Mobile Search, an optimized AOL.com portal and AOL Desktop for Mac.

About AOL
AOL is a global Web services company that operates some of the most popular Web destinations, offers a comprehensive suite of free software and services, runs one of the largest Internet access businesses in the U.S., and provides a full set of advertising solutions. A majority-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., AOL LLC and its subsidiaries have operations in the U.S., Europe, Canada and Asia. Learn more at AOL.com.

Contact:

Derick Mains
AOL
(650) 937-2603
Derick.Mains@corp.aol.com

AIM for iPhoneTruveo for iPhone

AOL Desktop for Mac 1.2 Released

Today AOL released AOL Desktop for Mac 1.2 that resolves mail and AIM issues our customers have reported for the past few weeks. This is our second update to AOL Desktop for Mac which was launched in early May, 2008.

Changes in AOL Desktop for Mac 1.2:
  • Fixed mail display issues where addressee/subject did not match
  • Fixed various issues with AIM that may lead to crash on some systems

During first-run of AOL Desktop for Mac 1.2, your online mail folders will be re-synchronized. This is a one-time operation that will increase performance on subsequent launches of AOL Desktop for Mac 1.2. You can continue to use AOL Desktop for Mac 1.2 during the re-synchronization.

Please report any issues using the Feedback button on the application toolbar. Any specific information about connection type and speed, whether you are using wireless, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Try out the new update and let us know how it works for you. You can download it from discover AOL in the Free AOL Downloads section. We will try to respond to comments that have an email address, but rest assured, every comment is read and evaluated by our team.

Thanks...
Larry Aasen
Developer, AOL Desktop for Mac Team

Feedback Friday - June 13, 2008



The AOL Mac/iPhone team is headed to the airport (I just finished my final session at WWDC '08), I wanted to post a brief, but important Feedback Friday.

This week, AOL released AOL Desktop for Mac 1.1. This is our first update to AOL Desktop for Mac, released early May that addresses issues (and one new feature, address book - sort by last name) our customers have reported for the past few weeks.

Changes in AOL Desktop for Mac 1.1:
  • Fixed mail performance issues. Now, mailboxes with hundreds of messages (or even thousands) are synched on first run without slowing the system
  • Fixed mail display issues with incorrect content
  • Fixed Address Book issues that may have not properly switched to the correct screen name when syncing
  • Fixed Address Book sync failures which resulted in no contacts
  • Address Book sort by last name has been added to this release
  • Fixed sorting in Address Book when clicking the column headers
  • Fixed sporadic Leopard crash when clicking mailto: links
  • Fixed Mac OS X 10.5.3 issues with Buddy List search
  • Fixed Mac OS X 10.5.3 issues that may have caused a crash in AIM
  • Fixed performance for auto-complete for AIM when user has a large Address Book
Notes:
Mail performance and display issues have been fixed in this release. Please report any issues using the Feedback button on the application toolbar. Any specific information about connection type and speed, whether you are using wireless, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Please try out the new update and let me know how it works for you. You can download it from Discover AOL.
I will try to respond to comments that have an email address, but rest assured, every comment is read and evaluated by the team.

Thanks...
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

AOL Wins Coveted Apple Design Award

Wow! What a week. Five days of sunny weather, 5000+ Mac developers and the AOL Mac/iPhone team received a small grey cube that has a light-up logo.



It's not just any cube, it's a reaffirmation of AOL's dedication to the Mac (and now iPhone) platforms. The 2008 Apple Design Award for best iPhone Entertainment Application went to Ron Anderson and Dan Gilliam, our two most senior Mac developers who built AOL Radio for iPhone (powered by CBS Radio).


I want to congratulate the entire team (including our user experience/visual designer, AOL management and the entire Mac team) on this outstanding achievement. With WWDC '08 winding down, it's back to the Xcode to work on the next (award winning?) Mac/iPhone application.

Enjoy!
Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

IMing all Developers!

If you're a Mac developer and interested in integrating AOL's Open AIM into your application, you can download the source code for the Cocoa WIMFramework.

This Objective-C/Cocoa wrapper implements the logic for AOL's openAIM WIM protocol. Protocol documentation and AIM Network license requirements can be located at http://developer.aim.com

Description
If you want to integrate AIM into your Objective-C based application, this project is meant to make it easier for you. We're using it ourselves to build some AIM experiences.

This library is just beginning. We will be continuing to make available enhancements. The Framework concentrates on making the WIM AIM server protocol easier to consume. It does not make any assumptions about user interface.

Take it for a spin!

Lee Givens
AOL Mac Product Lead

WWDC08

We can place info and downloads of the Cocoa AIM frameworks.

AOL Desktop for Mac Launched

It's Official: AOL Launches New Desktop Software for the Mac
New Software for Mac is Latest in Series of Enhanced Mac-Compatible Applications and Products Released by AOL


The AOL for Mac team is pleased to announce today that we are officially launching the new AOL Desktop for Mac software (http://mac.aol.com). Built from the ground-up by Mac users and for Mac users, the new AOL Desktop for Mac marks the first all-new and thoroughly modern desktop software launched by AOL for the Mac in more than five years.

AOL Desktop for Mac offers an all-in-one mail, messaging and Web browsing experience that is light on the desktop, loads in record time, and offers a variety of new features and functionality -- many of which were recommended by our beta testers and AOL Mac users. Highlights of the new software include:

  • New, Fast-Loading Web Browser: Built using the same technology that supports the Safari and iPhone Web browsers, the new AOL Desktop for Mac software is armed with one of the fastest-loading browsers available. And because it shares Web components with the Mac OS® X operating system, it will never become obsolete.
  • Exclusive New Version of AIM: Developed exclusively for the Mac, the new AIM application in AOL Desktop for Mac works alongside the new AOL Browser and Mail, offering users an enhanced text-based instant messaging experience that now includes many of AIM's most-popular features, such as Buddy Info, AIM Expressions and Buddy Fly Out.
  • Easy Transition Tools: New functionality allows for fast, easy transfer of AOL Favorites and AOL Mail (from AOL for Mac OS X personal filing cabinets), as well as icon "tooltips," and a new AOL Support Portal for Mac.
  • Tabbed IM and Browsing: Tabs on the browser and IM offer easy access to an uncluttered and organized view of all open windows, helping users stay organized and save time while online.

AOL Desktop for Mac is the latest addition to AOL's recently-released library of Mac and iPhone compatible products, including AOL Mobile Search optimized for the iPhone, AIM for the iPhone and Xdrive Desktop Lite. AOL Mail is also accessible on the iPhone. AOL has a long history of developing and supporting software and services specifically for Mac products, and originally debuted its service on the Mac more than 20 years ago.

The video posted below highlights several of the new features included in the new AOL Desktop for Mac. I encourage you try it for yourself at http://mac.aol.com. It is compatible with Mac OS X, Leopard and Tiger (i.e. Mac OS X 10.4.8 or higher), and will co-exist on your desktop with AOL for Mac OS X.

Link to High Resolution Version (QuickTime .MOV 1440 x 900 - 24.3MB)

Download AOL Desktop for Mac Screenshots


Next Page »

Most Commented Posts

About The Team

Welcome to the Mac@AOL Blog. My name is Lee Givens and I'm the Product Lead for the Mac products at AOL. You can find the latest information on AOL's software development on the Mac and any cool happenings at AOL. The purpose of the blog is to create a feedback loop so we can hear from our loyal AOL Mac users. Managing a blog is a lot of work, so I enlisted support from the whole team...the Mac team is made up of dedicated Macintosh developers, QA engineers and Product folks.

Subscribe

Subscribe to Mac @ AOL News & Updates

Feed by Mail: